Lance Burton's show during the World Magic Seminar is the subject of a Las Vegas Sun article that reported "At least 50 of them [conventioneers] were at the Lance Burton performance one night at Monte Carlo. What they got was two magic shows for the price of one. One took place onstage, with Burton creating some of the most amazing illusions in the world of magic. The other took place between the performer and his fans, a connection almost magical in quality." The article also describes his career, his show and closes with "The magic between him and his fans is not an illusion." To read the Jan. 17 article by Jerry Fink titled "Burton's magic takes many forms at Monte Carlo" click: HERE.(1/20)

Penn & Teller's new TV series which premieres this week is previewed in The Free Lance-Star where the writer surmised, "Though I could do without the obscenities and some of the series silliness, which pulls some of the punches, it does shine a light on the gullibility of people. If nothing else, it will serve as a start for talking about hucksters who make money off the misery of others." To read the Jan. 19 article by Rob Hedelt titled "Penn & Teller shine light on conniving opportunists" click: HERE.(1/20)

R. Paul Wilson, Shimshi, Henry Evans, Andrew Goldenhersh, Chipper Lowell, The Majestix, and Tim Mannix appear at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles on Jan. 20-26.(1/20)

Criss Angel is quoted in a New York Times article about his preparations for the recent escape stunt "He added that he had prepared for the cold weather stunt by spending a lot of time in restaurant refrigerators near his home on Long Island. He would not say which restaurants. They wouldn't want the public to know, he said, because of regulations." To read the Jan. 17 article by Joyce Wadler titled "Of Course, It Might Bomb" click: HERE.(1/20)

Dan Sperry is profiled in The State where it is reported, "The high school student from Litchfield, Minn. - hailed as one of America's premier teen magicians - will be among the featured performers this weekend during the S.C. Association of Magicians' Eighth Annual Gala Stage Magic Show." To read the Jan. 17 article by Bertram Rantin titled "Slight of age" click: HERE.(1/20)

David Copperfield will present his "An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion" show as a benefit on Apr. 26. A Billings Gazette article reported that "The theater hopes to raise $50,000 for operations with the annual bash." To read the Jan. 19 article by Christene Meyers titled "ABT nets magician for gala" click: HERE.(1/20)

Penn & Teller who managed to offend many of the attendees at the World Magic Seminar are being defended in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article that describes the stunt "A group walked out of a roast of Amazing Johnathan on Monday after Teller, dressed as Christ on a full-sized cross, entered the room on a cart. A midget dressed as an angel performed a simulated sex act on the near-naked Teller." The article also reported that "Melinda the First Lady of Magic retired in August, she announced her priority was to start a family. Mission accomplished, I'm told." To read the Jan. 17 article by Norm titled "Roast attendees take umbrage with stunt by Penn & Teller" click: HERE.(1/20)

Philippe Petit is profiled in The Observer where they recap his career and report that "At six, he began teaching himself magic, polishing his tricks in front of a mirror. From magic, he progressed to tricks of manipulation with billiard balls, and from them to juggling. The misdirection of close-up magic led him to learn the art of the pickpocket." Petit also plans on walking across the Grand Canyon. To read the Jan. 19 article by Adam Higginbotham titled "On top of the world" click: HERE.(1/20)

PRESS RELEASE: Young Magicians Wanted For Las Vegas Show.

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One of the main events at the annual World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas is the Siegfried & Roy sponsored International stage competition. This year's two big winners were: En-Gyeol Lee from Korea who received the Siegfried & Roy Gold Lion's Head Award that is voted on by the attendees and Jason Lattimer who received the SARMOTI (Siegfried and Roy Masters Of The Impossible) Award. Both awards included a large cash prize. The winners of the teen contest, which is sponsored by Lance Burton, were Matthew David Stanley (first place), Jason Morrison (second place), and Michael Barron and Jessica Reed who tied for third place. The event took place on Jan. 12-15 at the Riviera Hotel.(1/21)

Professional magicians from The Magic & Allied Arts Development & Research Institute (MAADRI) in India have been recruited to educate rural citizens by using magic to illustrate the information. The Times Of India reported that "Over the next 17 months, a 20-member team belonging to , a non-governmental organisation, will tour every taluk across the 27 districts in the state." To read the Jan. 21 article by Chetan Krishnaswamy titled "Krishna MMS: magic messaging service" click: HERE.(1/21)

Nicholas Carifo gets some press as he gets an acting job on the "Drew Carey Show." A Beaver-Alleghenny County Times article quoted Carifo, "So, two days a week, I am sitting in the bar on the Warner Brothers set, reacting to the nutty antics of Drew, Oswald, Lewis and Mimi… It's really kind of surreal." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article reported that "Carifo, who continues to work as a magician, also has been an 'ER' doctor, reporter on 'The West Wing,' soldier on 'The District' and a bartender in the Ben Affleck superhero movie 'The Daredevil,' arriving in theaters Feb. 14." To read the Jan. 19 Beaver-Alleghenny County Times article by Scott Tady titled "Local guy hangs out each week with Drew" click: HERE.(1/21)
--To read the Jan. 18 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article titled "Armstrong plugs in new HDTV option" click: HERE.(1/21)

Tom Frank's new magic shop is mentioned in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer that reported, "The former Cincinnati resident brought Industrial Strength Magic to the area at the end of November and now stays open until 11:30 p.m. some nights stumping bar hoppers with his card tricks." Frank is quoted, "From my store, as I look out on First Avenue, I see nothing but opportunity." To read the Jan. 18 article by Christine Frey titled "Merchants are finding magic in Pioneer Square" click: HERE.(1/21)

Will Gregory credits magic in helping him beat a dug addiction, "Magic became my way out and now I want people to know they can beat their addictions too." A Wakefield Express article reported that he is planning to be buried under ground as a stunt to take place in the next few months. The stunt is described as, "He will be chained and shackled by the feet, arms, legs and waist before being put into a steel coffin bolted at either side. The magician will then be lowered into a 10ft by 10ft chamber with the lid riveted on. Will said: 'Sand will be poured on top and I will have about four minutes' worth of air to get out of the chains and coffin then out of the chamber before crawling through a hole and out.'" To read the Jan. 17 article titled "will's second great escape" click: HERE.(1/21)

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The second annual "A Night of Magic," produced by Richard Steven Cohn, appears on Friday Jan. 24 at 8pm at The Good Coffeehouse series at The Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture (53 Prospect Park West) in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Starring this year are Torkova, Marco Monteverdi, Ryan Oakes and John Stetson who will join Richard and Alexandra Cohn who appear as The Magical Melodions. Tickets are $10 per person and are available by phoning: 718-965-8490.(1/22)

Penn & Teller are scheduled to be part of the Super Bowl festivities. An Associated Press article reported that "They are to write down and hermetically seal the name of the winner, score and MVP before the game, then reveal their predictions on the postgame show." There is also mention of their stunt at the World Magic Seminar. To read the Jan. 21 article by Hal Bock titled "Teen Part of ABC Super Bowl Broadcast" click: HERE.(1/22)

"Diamond Jim" Tyler is featured in a Colony Courier-Leader article that describes him as, "Diamond Jim is no mere dilettante when it comes to his trade. He eats, breathes, and sleeps magic. His house looks like it was pulled straight from the pages of an old black-and-white mystery movie, with posters of Houdini and Svengali decorating the walls and Egyptian sarcophagi leaned against his television set. Ever since he was able to walk, Tyler has had a dozen tricks up his sleeve." The article also describes his career, his life and how he became interested in magic. To read the Jan. 21 article by Andrew Weinman titled "Sleight of the hand: magician focuses on performance, writing" click: HERE.(1/22)

Infantino will be appearing at The Morrill Theatre (127-6 Smithtown Blvd.) in Nesconset, NY on Jan. 24-25 at 8pm. The "2 Fools Productions" event is a fundraiser to support The Morrill Theatre. There will be a $5 cover charge and reservasions are available by phoning: 631-979-5942.(1/22)

NEW YORK: Rich Marotta lectures on Friday Jan. 24 at 9pm at the Rogue Productions Magic & Funshop (85-08 Queens Blvd.) in Elmhurst. Admission is $35 per person. For information and reservations phone: 718-505-0316.(1/22)

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David Redfearn who has recently made three live appearances on "This Morning" on the United Kingdom ITV television network is currently filming a ten part series titled "Astounding Celebrities" which will begin airing on Feb. 3 on Granada ITV. Redfearn has also completed a pilot for BBC1 titled "Trick Saturday." A Sunday Express feature described him last year as, "David Redfearn is the epitome of the new breed of British magicians, able to play the crowd at close quarters and earn its respect."(1/23)

Marc Salem's show Mind Games which closes it's run at the Sydney Opera House in Australia this week gets a rave review in The Daily Telegraph which concluded "It's not just the shock value of Salem's show that makes it one of the most compelling performances ever to hit the Playhouse stage, it's also Salem's great comic ability." The review by Vanessa McCausland which ran on Jan. 17 is titled "Mind Games Together." (1/23)

Michael Grandinetti is scheduled to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl on Monday Jan. 27 when he appears on the "Mark & Brian" Radio Show at 8:00am. On Tuesday the 21st Grandinetti appeared on the show explaining how the prediction was sealed and sent to the Station by FedEx.(1/23)

Members of the Tennessee Magical Society will be giving a benefit on Friday and Saturday for the benefit Genesis House. A Herald-Citizen article quotes Jason Fields, "This is a program for the entire family but it's not a children's show. Little kids who don't understand what magic is might get bored. But older kids will love it." To read the Jan. 22 article by Jill Thomas titled "Genesis House, Magical Society team up" click: HERE.(1/23)

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Jamy Ian Swiss and Roberto Giobbi will once again present their highly acclaimed Card Clinic. After the successful run in New York City last year they will be giving the West Coast magicians a chance to attend the intensive session on Apr. 4-6 at the Hotel Santa Barbara in California. A recently added infomercial on their website shows just how important the event was to the attendees and how the Card Clinic's tag line, "Three days that will change your magic forever," accomplished it's promise. The clinic is already half booked so if you are serious about card magic make your reservations before it sells out. For more information click: HERE.(1/24)

The Magic Castle and Magicopolis are featured in a Daytrum article that explains what you could see, "From miracles with cards and coins, to birds that seemingly fly from nowhere, to large-scale illusions that levitate, decapitate, and separate, these two venues deliver magic goods that leave you laughing, baffled, and awestruck." To read the Jan. 21 article titled "Great Magic in Southern California" click: HERE.(1/24)

R.G. Smith is featured in a Herald-Mail article that describes his recent show at the Chambersburg Area Middle School. Smith's shows use magic to stress the importance of abstaining from drugs. To read the Jan. 23 article by Stacey Danzuso titled "Truce message trickles down to middle school sixth-graders" click: HERE.(1/24)

David Oliver, Doc Swan, Peter Samelson, Jamy Ian Swiss, Ori Ashkenazy, Thorsten Happel, and Simon Lovell headline at Monday Night Magic on Jan. 27 at 8pm in NYC. For tickets phone Ticketmaster at: 212-307-4100. For more information click: HERE.(1/24)

Master Samarth who won the senior competition at "Garudi 2003," the All-Karnataka Magicians' Convention in Bangalore, India credits his mentor M.P. Hashim who according to a Times Of India article "…took the responsibility of honing Samarth's skills. Six months of 'training' worked wonders for him. The time was ripe for Samarth to prove his mettle. He chose Bangalore and Mumbai and soon, his talent was recognized…" To read the Jan. 24 article titled "His magic had them spellbound" click: HERE.(1/24)

Jay McKee who is a Buffalo Sabres defenseman is described in a Sports Illustrated article as "…a pretty fair amateur magician, and one of his favorite tricks is making a dollar float over his hand and up the length of his arm, no strings attached. It's a darn good illusion, too. I've seen him do it." McKee is also reported to frequent, "his favorite hobby shop," Elmwood Magic & Novelty. To read the Jan. 23 article by Kostya Kennedy titled "Vanishing act" click: HERE.(1/24)

Penn & Teller's new series is described in a Miami Herald preview as "Penn & Teller: Bulls---! is a curmudgeonly delight for anybody who's sick of TV psychics and New Age snake oil. This new Showtime series is a combative, profane exposé of all that's dippy and pseudo-scientific in post-modernist America, which, sadly, is a lot." To read the Jan. 23 article by Glenn Garvin titled "Magical duo takes on the pseudo-scientists" click: HERE.(1/24)

Penn & Teller's Showtime series is previewed in a New York Post article that describes it as "…a mean-spirited, rather bizarrely nasty, profane and angry show with Penn ranting at the phonies he finds." To read the Jan. 23 article by Linda Stasi titled "Magicians Hit A Tricky Patch" click: HERE.(1/24)

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